Effective Pest Management with Insect Screens
Preventing pest problems before they occur is far more effective than dealing with them after the fact. While pesticides are commonly used for control, insect screens offer an excellent preventive option. They can be used in open-field and greenhouse production, are easy to install and reuse, and provide a high return on investment. In this article, we outline the benefits of insect screens and key considerations for their effective use.
Understanding the Impact of Insects in Agriculture
Insects play a significant and unavoidable role in agriculture. While beneficial species such as bumblebees contribute to pollination, most insects are harmful pests that negatively affect crop growth and yield. Pest species and behaviors vary widely—from armyworms and stink bugs to thrips, leaf miners, whiteflies, and aphids. The types of pests that threaten crops depend not only on the crop itself but also on the growing environment. Even within the same region, differences in field conditions can result in different pest problems. For detailed information on common pest species and effective control methods, we recommend consulting reliable sources such as NC State Extension Publications and UC IPM, which provide highly informative research-based guidance.
Strategies for Pest Control
Understanding your field conditions is the first step in pest management. Based on those conditions—such as temperature, humidity, and airflow—appropriate countermeasures should be implemented. However, as many experienced growers know, it is extremely difficult to eliminate pests completely.
Manual pest removal is theoretically the most reliable method, but even for small home gardens, it is impractical. For that reason, pesticides are often used as an effective solution. Certain pesticides can even prevent pest outbreaks by deterring insects before they approach the crops. Yet, due to legal and safety regulations designed to protect human health, pesticide potency is limited, and costs can become a burden for growers.
A Smarter Solution: Insect Screens
Our company proposes a safer and more sustainable alternative — the Insect Screen.
Unlike pesticides, Insect Screens do not kill insects; instead, they serve as a physical barrier to prevent pests from entering greenhouses or cultivation areas from outside sources.
It is important to note that Insect Screens are not effective if pests are already present within the greenhouse or if they are introduced through contaminated fertilizers or residues.
Nevertheless, our experience has proven their effectiveness in preventing external pest intrusion.
Most pests originate from weeds or vegetation surrounding the field and migrate toward crops. Typical examples include stink bugs, thrips, leaf miners, and aphids. These pests lay eggs and reproduce on the plants, causing severe damage. By preventing their entry from the outside, Insect Screens provide a highly effective and environmentally friendly form of pest management.
Selecting the Right Mesh Size
The mesh size is the most critical factor when choosing an Insect Screen. It must match the size of the target pest. Traditional Insect Screens often have a disadvantage: as the mesh becomes finer, airflow decreases. Just as we feel suffocated when wearing a mask, crops also require proper ventilation for healthy growth.
For example, one of the smallest pests—the silverleaf whitefly—measures approximately 1/16 inch (1.59 mm) for females and 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) for males. To effectively block these insects, we recommend our AIS Series Insect Screen, featuring a 0.3 mm mesh—less than half the size of the adult pest.
Conventional Insect Screens with such fine mesh often have a porosity below 50%, which restricts airflow and increases shading. Our AIS Series overcomes these limitations by using ultra-fine fibers, achieving a porosity equivalent to that of a 0.4 mm mesh while maintaining superior light transmittance. This ensures that photosynthesis efficiency is not reduced by unnecessary shading. Although the porosity does not directly determine airflow, it has a strong influence on ventilation performance.
The AIS Series Advantage
When you require fine-mesh protection without sacrificing airflow, our AIS Series Insect Screens are the ideal solution. They combine superior pest control performance with excellent ventilation and light transmission.
We offer a diverse product lineup designed to address a wide range of pest control needs — providing growers with reliable, efficient, and environmentally conscious solutions for modern agriculture.